Horror as landlord, 74, "shoots dead two tenants" after dispute over parking cars in the driveway… just three minutes after police left…

Horror as landlord, 74, 'shoots dead two tenants' after dispute over parking cars in the driveway… just THREE MINUTES after police left the homePolice say James Pak shot three of his tenants after arguing with them on Saturday afternoonDerrick Thompson, 19, and his girlfriend Alivia Welch, 18, were killed; Thompson's mother Susan Johnson, 44, was wounded Police had been called to the home Saturday after an argument over parking turned physicalThe shooting occurred three minutes after they left the house

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UPDATED:

21:08 GMT, 30 December 2012

A young couple was shot dead by their landlord after arguing with him over parking their cars in his driveway, police say.

Derrick Thompson, 19, and Alivia Welch, 18, were killed in their apartment on Saturday just three minutes after police left the property in Biddeford, Maine.

Officers believed they had quelled an argument between the tenants and James Pak, who owned the duxplex, authorities say.

Pak, a 74-year-old Korean War orphan and local business owner, lived in one half of the duplex and rented out the other half. Neighbors described him as a 'horrible landlord,' with an short temper who spied on the people who rented from him.

Murdered: Derrick Thompson, 19, and his girlfriend, Alivia Welch, 18, were both killed in their apartment by their angry landlord, police say

Tragic: Alivia worked at a coffee shop in town and Derrick detailed cars at a local dealership. Both were just beginning their lives together

Pak also shot and wounded Mr Thompson's mother, Susan Johnson, 44, who was also living in the apartment with her six-year-old son, police say.

The young boy was found hiding in a back bedroom. He and Ms Johnson, as well as Pak's wife, were rescued by officers shortly after the shooting, the Portland Press Herald reports.

Pak barricaded himself in the Cape Cod-style house and refused to come out during an ensuing police standoff. He surrendered in his driveway after three hours, police said.

This is the third time this month that police in a small town in the Northeast have responded to horrifying gun violence.

On December 14, 20 first graders and six adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in upscale Newtown, Connecticut. On Christmas Eve, a convicted felon shot dead two firefighters who were lured to their deaths when the gunman set fire to his home in the lakefront village of Webster, New York.

Biddeford is a quiet city of 21,000 about 20 miles southeast of Portland.

Horror: This Cape Cod-style duplex in an upscale Maine town was the scene of a horrible double murder on Saturday night

The Press Herald reports that police believe the shooting came as a result of a landlord-tenant dispute over parking at the house in the upscale neighborhood.

Thee cars were parked in the driveway on Sunday morning.

Ms Johnson called police to the duplex about 4pm after her son, Mr Thompson, and Pak began fighting. Police say the argument may have escalated to shoving.

Officers said they calmed both the landlord and the tenants down and believed the argument was settled.

Police left the house about 7pm. Just three minutes later, they received received reports of a shooting at the home. Officers returned to find Mr Thompson and his girlfriend Miss Welch shot to death and Ms Johnson wounded.

Johnson was being treated for a gunshot wound at a Portland hospital and is in stable condition, officials said. Her younger son, Brayden, was not hurt.

Detectives say Pak used a handgun in the shootings, but did not specify the make or model.

Hiding: Brayden Johnson, 6, was told to hide in a back bedroom when the shooting began. His mother Susan Johnson was wounded

Ambitions: Alivia's Facebook page says she was studying nursing at the local community college

The young couple, along with Ms Johnson and her six-year-old son had been renting an apartment at the house since October.

Pak and his wife lived in the other side of the house.

Neighbors called Pak a 'horrible landlord' who never kept tenants for more than a year. Previous tenants complained about Pak peeking in their windows.

Pak was known in his neighborhood as an exacting man with a violent temper, the Press Herald reports. He and his wife moved into the house five years ago and significantly renovated it.

Andrew Lemelin, 19, who lives across the street from Pak, said he experienced Pak's temper last year when he was hired to do work for the elderly man. Pak was not satisfied with Mr Lemelin's performance and sent a letter to the teen's father demanding he return the wages he paid.

Mr Lemelin told the Press Herald that when the family refused to give the money back, Pak began leaving angry, threatening messages on the family answering machine.

'He seemed like the kind of person who could deal without guns,' Mr Lemelin told the newspaper.